Long term intravenous therapy to a patient often requires that a portal reservoir (also may be referred to as port or portal) be implanted to the patient. The medicament stored in the port is fed slowly to an inside body area of the patient by way of a catheter tube connected to the port. To refill the port, conventionally a blunt cannula with a needle or trocar extending therethrough with the tip of the needle extending beyond the distal end of the blunt cannula is inserted through the skin of the patient into the port through its septum. The blunt cannula extends from the bottom surface of an infuser or infusion site that has a dome shaped housing having a septum top through which the needle extends into the blunt cannula. The domed housing has connected thereto a catheter tube, which in turn may be connected to the liquid medicament that is to be fed into the port. The top of the housing of the infuser is usually made from a resealable material such as rubber or silicone, so that when the needle is withdrawn from the blunt cannula and then the housing, the top of the infuser is resealed.
As with the use of any needle or sharps, there is always a chance that the user, or a bystander, may be accidentally pricked by the contaminated needle when it is removed from the patient, as the tip of the needle is contaminated with the fluid from the patient.
To prevent potential diseases and infections due to exposure to a contaminated needle, the prior art discloses a number of devices that prevent the tip of the needle from being exposed, after it is withdrawn from the blunt cannula. U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,015, assigned to the assignee of the instant application and the product covered thereby marketed under the trade name GRIPPER® PLUS, discloses the use of a right angle needle which, when withdrawn from the patient, has its tip secured to a well at the base of the inserter. Other patents by the assignee of the instant application include U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,510,543 and 7,549,976 which disclose a similar right angled needle that uses a portion of the base to prevent the contaminated tip of the needle from being exposed to the environment. For the '543 and '976 patents, the contaminated tip of the needle is maintained within the base of the inserter. The disclosure of the '015, '543 and '976 patents are incorporated by reference herein. The device sold under the aforenoted patents include the GRIPPER® MICRO, as well as the GRIPPER® PLUS. Another right angle needle that is entrapped as it pivots out of the blunt cannula is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,721. In all of the above-noted patents, insofar as the needle is a right angle needle, there requires a pivotal movement of an inserter arm.
The instant invention eliminates the need for a pivot arm and pivotal movement therefor, and at the same time allows for a passive and automatic capture of the contaminated tip, when the inserter is removed from the infuser.